New Saudi luxury airline forced to cancel, redivert flights under Houthi attacks - report

Riyadh Air staff started volunteering at hospitals where victims of the airport strikes were treated as flights were canceled and redirected, and the airline moved its expensive assets from Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia's new airline, Riyadh Air, was forced to divert and cancel flights just months after it started commercial flights this summer, with Houthi attacks forcing the airline to evacuate all aircraft from its home base and halt almost all flying for two weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported last week.  

Riyadh Air was intended to be part of Saudi Arabia's larger long-term economic ambitions, a high-end airline designed for wealthy tourists in the style of similar airlines from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, according to the WSJ. 

Houthi targeting of the airport in Riyadh has forced Riyadh Air to reduce its number of flights, with those remaining landing either in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, or at a small airport 200 miles from Riyadh, with passengers ferried on an hour-long ground journey to the capital. 

Riyadh Air's sister carrier Saudia, an airline focused on the demand from Saudi Arabia's oil workers and pilgrimage travelers, has also been forced into disruptions by Houthi attacks, one of which killed one of its pilots and destroyed an aircraft on October 8.

Riyadh Air staff have started volunteering at hospitals where victims of the airport strikes were treated as flights are canceled and redirected and the airline moves its expensive assets from Riyadh. 

Airports on Iran's target list

In addition to the Houthi threat, Iranian officials have told mediators that Tehran will be looking towards civilian targets, including airports, to retaliate against any renewed US or Israeli strikes, the WSJ wrote. 

Riyadh Air also faces a renewal of its war-risk insurance policy in November, according to the report.

The airline plans to boost its number of flights, returning to semiregular scheduling using an airport in Al Qassim province, a free 4.5-hour bus ride to Riyadh, to service flights from places including London, Islamabad, and Cairo, according to Riyadh Air's website.